USNS Henson (T-AGS-63)

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Career (USA)

Namesake:	Matthew Henson
Owner:	United States Navy
Operator:	Military Sealift Command
Awarded:	20 October 1994
Builder:	Halter Marine
Laid down:	13 October 1995
Launched:	21 October 1996
In service:	20 February 1998
Status:	Active in service as of 2008
General characteristics
Class and type:	Pathfinder-class survey ship
Displacement:	4,762 long tons
Length:	328 ft 6 in (100.1 m)
Beam:	58 ft (18 m)
Draft:	19 ft (5.8 m)
Speed:	16 kn (30 km/h)
Complement:	28 mariners/27 sponsor personnel

USNS Henson (T-AGS 63) is a Pathfinder class oceanographic survey ship. It is the fourth ship in the class. The Henson is named after Matthew Henson, who accompanied Robert Peary, most famously on an expedition intended to reach the Geographic North Pole in 1909. Due to his being black and his status as Peary's employee, he never reached the same fame as Peary in an America where racist views were still common; his contributions went largely unrecognized until decades later.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.